Only Titan is Titan

Wednesday

Nov 24, 2010 at 11:54 AM

In response to the letter, “We are all Titan,” I assert that blame for environmental degradation should not fall on the individual, but rather on the corporate institutions that control financial markets and the political process.
“Consumer democracy,” or the idea that consumers, not businesses, control the marketplace by voting with their dollars, is a farce. Decisions concerning how products will be made and, even more importantly, what products will be made, remain in the hands of a powerful few.
I did not demand cement made from limestone mined beneath wetlands, heated with mountain top removal coal, and transported by fossil fuels; I was not given another choice.
Corporations like Titan purposefully impede the development of alternative cement processes because they reap enormous profits from the current, antiquated mode of production—and that’s not our fault. They throw around clichés like “not in my backyard” to divide the community and shift blame back on the consumers.
Our scrappy, grassroots group has a positive vision, not just for the Cape Fear Region, but for our world. What if the delay of Titan allows sustainable cement to compete in the market? What if we power its production with offshore wind? What if our energized community really holds elected officials responsible? Those advances are possible, but not if we allow Titan to blame us for its marketing and production decisions.
I am not Titan, and neither are you. Now, Bob Odom, on the other hand… Carina Barnett-Loro Durham

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.